Arsenal, Rwanda seal 3-year tourism deal

Rwanda development board (RDB) has today announced a three-year partnership with Arsenal that officials say will increase tourism, investment and football development making the east African nation the official tourism partner of Arsenal and the Premier League football club’s first ever shirt sleeve partner.

They have said that this partnership will see “Visit Rwanda” logo featured on the left sleeve of all first team, under-23 and Arsenal Women’s matches effective this year.

Besides it will highlight Rwanda’s tourism offerings.

“The three-year partnership will see the new “Visit Rwanda” logo featured on the left sleeve of all first team, under-23 and Arsenal Women’s matches from the new season this August. The deal will among others highlight Rwanda’s tourism offerings such as the National Parks, which are attracting record number of tourists due to growing numbers of wildlife including black rhino, lions, zebra, chimpanzees and the famous mountain gorillas, as well as the investment opportunities in the country,” reads the statement.

Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer of RDB has said the deal is an opportunity for Rwanda to showcase its tourism potential, adding that the incredible and unique Mountain Gorilla tracking experience are among the wide variety of tourist attraction that make Rwanda the best choice for visitors and the best tourism destination in the region.

“We're thrilled to be partnering with Arsenal and showcasing the vibrancy and beauty of our country. Rwanda is a country pulsing with energy, creativity and innovation,” said Akamanzi.

“Renowned for our incredible and unique Mountain Gorilla tracking experience, tourist can also enjoy a variety of water sports, cycling, hiking, bird watching to list a few of the touristic attractions available while in Rwanda,” added Akamanzi.

Rwanda is the second fastest growing economy in Africa, growing at 7.3% per annum where it takes “only six hours to register a business”.

Commenting on the deal Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vinai Venkatesham said that it (deal) supports Rwanda’s ambition to build the tourism sector.

“This is an exciting partnership which will see us support Rwanda’s ambition to build their tourism industry. The country has been transformed in recent years and Arsenal’s huge following will bring Rwanda into people’s minds in a new and dynamic way. The Arsenal shirt is seen 35 million times a day around the world and we are one of the most viewed teams around the world. We look forward to working with the Visit Rwanda team to further establish the country as a tourist destination.”

The partnership is also being supported by National Geographic who will promote Rwanda as an important tourist destination, the statement further said.

Records at RDB show that Rwanda received 1.3 Million visitor arrivals in 2017. 94,000 tourists visited Rwanda’s three national parks of Nyungwe National Park, Akagera National Park and Volcanoes National Park. Tourism has generated 90,000 jobs and is Rwanda’s largest foreign exchange earner.